Introduction to Personal Financial Management

Overview

Why do you want to learn about money? Money affects every single aspect of our lives, every single day of our lives!  One bad financial decision can take years or a lifetime to overcome. As much as an academic upbringing is important, one’s education should also include: how to budget, save, invest, how to retire well, how to leverage debt and so much more. The truth is that many people make uneducated, ill-informed financial decisions, get repeatedly taken advantage of, experience financial distress, and are living paycheck-to-paycheck. This problem affects everyone regardless of income, race, class, or educational achievement.

This course, Introduction to Personal Financial Management will effectively equip learners with the knowledge and the abilities to use MONEY AS A TOOL to better manage their resources. Financial literacy is a life skill, and its importance to one’s decision-making cannot be ignored! Not only do we want to help learners navigate their finances during this pandemic, but it is our mandate to help persons live the lifestyle that they want, accomplish their goals, enjoy financial wellness and create generational wealth.

Target Group

This course, Introduction to Financial Literacy, targets the following groups of persons:

• Persons who wish to better manage their own finances
• Persons who wish to enhance their finance skills
• Persons who are ready to learn the tools needed to gain financial freedom

Course Requirements

• A desire to acquire the skills to learn about money and build wealth
• Availability to prepare prior to class
• Good expressive skills
• Commitment to weekly participation

Course Objectives

On completion of the course, learners will be able to:

• Assess their current budget, improve current spending habits and develop a new budget
• Track their expenses and prioritize their expenses
• Implement the strategies need to stick to a budget
• Spending and saving tips
• Build their emergency fund
• Differentiate between good debt and bad debt
• Calculate their net worth
• Understand how to use a credit card correctly
• Understand how the mortgage process works
• Understand the role and importance of insurance
• Plan effectively for retirement
• Understand the importance of estate planning
• Understand the importance of investing and the steps needed to begin investing

Course Content

MODULE ONE: BUDGETING

• Determine an individual’s beliefs and stories about money and how it influences money problems
• Determine one’s financial goals
• What is budgeting
• Types of Budget plans
• The budgeting process
• How to assess one’s current budget
• Strategies for effective budgeting
• Create a new budget

MODULE TWO: SAVINGS

• Importance of Saving and Building Wealth
• Differentiate between checking accounts, savings account and mutual funds
• Strategies to save
• The role of banks, credit unions, sou-sou, mutual funds
• Calculate net worth
• Steps to build an emergency fund

MODULE THREE: INTRO TO INVESTMENTS

• What are investments
• Prerequisites to investments
• Types of investments
• Benefits and risks of investing
• Steps to get started with investing

MODULE FOUR: DEBT AND CREDIT

• What is Debt and Credit
• What are the 5 C’s of Credit
• Types of Debt
• Calculate Debt-Service Ratio
• Understand Good Debt vs Bad Debt
• How to manage credit cards
• What is your credit report and credit score
• How to manage debt
• How do mortgages work

MODULE FIVE: RETIREMENT

• How to prepare for retirement
• Understand the F.I.R.E approach to retirement
• The main challenge about retirement
• Myths about retirement
• Main sources of retirement income

MODULE SIX: PROTECTION AND ESTATE PLANNING

• What is insurance
• Types of insurance
  • Health Insurance
  • Car Insurance
  • Home insurance
• Estate Planning
• Wills and Testaments

Delivery Mode

Online Classes

This course will be delivered via live online classes. Students who have successfully enrolled in the course will be provided with a link to join the class as well as other relevant instructions at least one day before the start of the class. These classes are also recorded; therefore, students have the option to review the course content as often as they like.

Course Schedule

Course Offering

Day	Time	Duration	Contact Hours	Cost	Lecturer
Tuesday	06:00 pm to 08:30 pm	8 weeks	20 hours	$1,000.00	Ms. Alana A. Alleyne
Monday	06:00 pm to 08:30 pm	8 Weeks	20 hours	$1,000.00	Ms. Alana A. Alleyne

Session - Tuesday (06:00 pm to 08:30 pm)

Session	Start Date	End Date
2024 - Cycle 1 - Online Classes	Tuesday, March 19, 2024	Tuesday, March 19, 2024
2024 - Cycle 2 - Online Classes	Tuesday, July 2, 2024	Tuesday, August 20, 2024
2024 - Cycle 3 - Online Classes	Tuesday, October 8, 2024	Tuesday, November 26, 2024

Session - Monday (06:00 pm to 08:30 pm)

Session	Start Date	End Date
2023 - Cycle 1 - Online Classes	Monday, September 18, 2023	Monday, November 13, 2023

Assessment

• Group work on the various elements of financial literacy.
• Weekly demonstrations of the components of financial literacy.
• Demonstration of the practical application of the various components of financial literacy.

Student Support

Facilitator

Alana A. Alleyne

Alana Alleyne is presently a Business Educator, a Certified Financial Education Instructor (CFEI) and a Coach where she seeks to educate and empower others about Financial Literacy and Entrepreneurship. It is her aim to ensure that Caribbean people are armed with the relevant skills to become Money Masters.

 Alana’s experience spans over ten years, where she would have served as a former banker at a reputable financial institution, working with clients one-on-one to help maximize their finances. Since then, she has transitioned into education specializing in the area of business. She recently launched the platform EVOLVE where she strives to help persons EVOLVE their Life, Money and Business.

Alana is the holder of a Master Degree (Distinction) in Economics and a Bachelor’s Degree (Hons) in Economics and Management. As a Certified Financial Education Instructor CFEI, Alana has hosted workshops and training, working alongside a number of organizations to teach Financial Literacy throughout the Caribbean. Alana’s work has touched the lives of hundreds of persons. She is passionate about financial education and wants to help people use money to accomplish their goals, acquire financial freedom and build generational wealth.

In addition to her full-time career as an Educator and Coach, Alana Alleyne is actively involved in her community and is engaged in youth work. In 2019, she was awarded by the Tobago House of Assembly for her dedication in the area of Youth Mentorship. Without a doubt, Alana’s education, background and training makes her the ideal person to help you evolve your finances.

Programme Management

The programme management team is responsible for the management of the course. If you would like further information or would like clarification on this programme please contact:

Ms. Reena Seepersadsingh
Programme Manager
Phone: (868) 376-7721

E-mail: certificationshidden@ctscollege.com